Love Over Reason
by Veronica.BookLover
Summary: During the Battle of Manhattan three years ago, Luke almost destroyed the lives of 7 billion people. He is haunted by his past & while most demigods have forgiven him, he has yet to forgive himself. Thalia just so happens to be the distraction he needs & with his help, they will embark on a quest to get Thalia's mortality back. Now if only their feelings weren't such a distraction.
1. Prologue

**Hi guys! This is my first fanfic in a while and my first Thaluke story, so pleas bear with me. For some odd reason, I just started shipping them really hard after reading _The House of Hades_, which makes no sense whatsoever, I know. If you haven't read _the Heroes of Olympus_, that's okee since this story takes place after _the Last Olympian_ and in this fic, the events of HOO have never occurred (huhu, no Leo D:) But anyway, I hope you guys enjoy, if you have any complaints, if the description is too long or not long enough or if you guys wants more angst, etc. make sure to review and I'll work on it ;)**

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**Prologue**

The ice cold air of New York City still had yet to grown on Luke. He had lived most of his life in the comforts of Camp-Half Blood, where the temperature was always adequate with the help of Thalia's tree. Though he couldn't complain, he only had himself to blame. He had wanted this. He had asked for his independence.

His ears were now red from the chilly atmosphere and he cursed under his breath once again for forgetting his gloves back at his brothers' cabin.

The busy streets of Queens were a hassle to get by every day but as time went on, Luke had slowly grown accustom to it. He walked against the rest of the crowd, bumping to a different stranger every few seconds. Luke stopped in front of a taco truck and decided he had a few dollars to spare for dinner. He ordered three soft shell beef tacos. After placing his order, the 40 year old man stared at him, probably wondering what Luke was going to do with three giant tacos. Though it was impossible to blame the demigod, he had been working the whole day trying to get new kids form the Aphrodite cabin to shoot a bow and arrow correctly. Luke hadn't eaten since breakfast.

After he got his order, Luke continued on his way back home. It had been a long day and he was looking forward to crashing on the couch and watch _Arrow_, his most recent obsession. He let out a sigh of relief when he turned on his street.

He entered his apartment on the second floor of his building and triple locked the front door of his place. He wiggled out of his coat and threw the keys on the counter. Luke poured himself a glass of water before heading for the couch and switching on the TV. _Arrow_ had aired hours ago but fortunately for him, it was saved on his DVR (in normal circumstances, Luke wouldn't have been able to afford it but it had been a gift from his father on his last birthday).

He had finally relaxed on the lumpy piece of furniture. Because of his exhausting last few hours, he was starting to drift off fifteen minutes into the new episode.

"Nice place you got here."

Luke's eyes flew open and he was on his feet before he knew it. The voice was a bit hoarse and rough yet still had a touch of gentleness to it—it was all too familiar. He looked to the window where Thalia was sitting on the steps of the fire escape. "So this is what a real home looks like."

"In the name of Hades, Thalia what are you doing here?" Luke said; he was suddenly very awake. He got up and made his way to the windowpane.

The window was open and Luke leaned against the frame, thankful he still had his sweater on. From where he stood, he could already feel the cool puff of air brush against his skin.

Thalia swung her legs over the window casually, as if she'd been to the place a hundred times beforehand. Luke expected her to hop off and make a graceful landing, but she stayed put. Her eyes looked at Luke's cheap apartment, staring at it in awe.

"How did you where I live?" Luke asked, looking at her white face. This was the palest he'd seen her skin. The only sign of color on her was the tip of her nose and cheeks, which were bright red. Her electric blue eyes turned from left to right, analyzing the half furnished flat. "And there's this thing called a front door. Maybe you could knock next time."

Her attention snapped back towards Luke and smiled. "Well what's the fun in that? I followed you by the way, I hope you don't mind."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here, Thalia? Shouldn't you be bending bows and shooting arrows or something?"

Thalia licked her lips and only then did Luke realize how close their faces were together. At some point, he was able to smell her hair. She smelled sweet and reminded him on honey, which was ironic since Thalia was known for being a badass. But Luke didn't back away.

"To be honest, I'm not sure myself," she replied flatly.

"Well shouldn't you be with your... I don't know, Hunters?"

Thalia looked back down at her feet as they swung. "I'm taking a break. A leave of absence, I guess."

Luke's eyebrows pulled together. "Wait, you can do that? No that's not the point—Thalia, what are you talking about? In the last four years since you became Artemis's lieutenant, you've never taken a vacation."

She squeezed her chapped lips together. "I'm just trying to figure some stuff out."

The television was still on but in that moment, the voices and the background music were tucked into the deeps ends of Luke's head.

"And I guess that I need somebody to talk to..."

He was stunned. This was the longest one-on-one chat they'd had since the Battle of Manhattan over three years ago—no, since Thalia had been turned into a plant. That is, unless you didn't include the countless of times he'd laid flowers on Thalia's tree, as if it was her tombstone. He really thought it was.

And even before that, the years he'd known the daughter of Zeus, she had never shown many emotions. Whenever she did, she would usually talk about it with Annabeth.

Now, looking at Thalia's lonely face, he asked her why she hadn't gone to Athena's cabin instead.

"Oh well you know Annabeth," Thalia said. "I love her and all but she's too busy putting the finishing touches on Olympus's reconstruction. Plus she'll most likely go talk about it to Percy as well and I really don't feel like letting other people know about this. And if I go talking to her about this, she's going to be all logical and reasonable and be what Athena's kids usually do." She paused. "And I don't want to listen to any reason, I've been trying to be tactical and reasonable my whole life. I guess I came to you because I knew you'd tell me what I want to hear."

Thalia wrapped her arms around herself, though probably not from the cold since she was immortal. Luke noticed how she had let her hair grown out a smidge. It now barely swept over her shoulders. Her bangs were longer too and almost covered her bright eyes. Luke had the sudden urge to tug the loose strands behind her ear.

"Alright. And what is _this_ exactly?"

"I think..." She hesitated and looked away from his eyes. "Oh gods this is going to sound ridiculous. Just never mind."

"Well I'll never know if you never tell me," he commented, shuddering slightly from the cold. "Plus you're the one who came to me, remember?"

Thalia glared, but only for a second. Her eyes softened, her brows pulled together and she looked away in shame. "I don't think I want to be a Hunter anymore."

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**I know that there are a lot of questions, why does Luke have his own apartment, what happened after the Battle of Manhattan? Don't worry! All your questions will be answered throughout this fic! I'm already starting on Chapter 2 (yes I mean chapter 2, not chapter 1, that's a long story...) but I hope you like this vague beginning and hopefully, the plot sounds good enough for you guys to stay! Please tell me what you think in the reviews!**


	2. Chapter 1: The Search for the Harpe

**Hey guys! I don't have any homework for tomorrow, so you know what that means? New chapter! \(^^)/  
Yes, I'm weird. Deal with it.  
This chapter is also going to reveal a tinsy winsy bit of what happened to Luke but it also asks more questions so please just wait for the next chapters so please be patient with me! The characters are a bit OOC but I'm trying to work on that... thank you for reading!**

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Chapter 1: The Search for the Harpe

The Hunters of Artemis were camped on top of a hill in the North-West of Staten Island. They'd been staying there for a few days, waiting for the patron goddess to come back from her meeting in Olympus.

All of Thalia's fellow immortals were eating dinner by the campfire while the daughter of Zeus stayed in her lonesome in the corner. She was wondering how to ask Artemis for her life back without insulting the goddess. It wasn't like she was going to call Artemis a bitch or anything but say one wrong word to a god, and a war would be on your hands.

Artemis came back a few minutes before eleven. She was greeted by her followers and once she made sure that everything was all right, she retreated into her tent.

The Hunters were still laughing around the fire. Thalia made sure nobody was looking at her when she followed Artemis into the tent.

Inside, the goddess was rearranging some of her ancient looking books and turned around when she heard someone come in. The sides of Artemis's mouth curled upwards.

"Thalia," she said. "Glad to see you're back from your… vacation. We were lucky we did not run into anything too dangerous while you were gone."

The demigod was silent for a moment, clasping her hands around each other. Gods, she was more nervous than she'd anticipated.

Artemis seemed to notice Thalia's nervousness and put the book she was holding down. She stepped closer towards her lieutenant. "Thalia," the goddess said. "Is there something wrong?"

The Olympian usually wasn't the kindest of beings but Artemis seemed to have a soft spot for her Hunters. Thalia was grateful for that.

"I've been thinking lately," Thalia started. "And I've been reminiscing the old days at Camp Half-Blood and I was wondering if… if there were any Hunters who gave up their immortality."

Thalia was surprised by how formal she sounded, at least for _her_. She'd never thought that she'd use the word "reminiscence" in a sentence. Though, it didn't seem to matter that Thalia was starting to sound like the other Hunters. Indifferent, Artemis stared at her with a tiny spark in her eyes. Thalia could only hope it wasn't the fire burning inside of the goddess, ready to burn the demigod into ashes.

"No," Artemis said flatly.

Thalia sighed. She already felt defeated, hopeless. It wasn't in her nature to be so, but she'd wish that there was a chance to get her life back.

"Why do you ask?" Artemis said.

Thalia gulped. "You must know that I enjoy being your lieutenant although…I haven't even lived two decades on this earth, not to mention that I spent most of it as a tree. After being turned back, I felt like I belonged at Camp. Though I love the adventure that follows the hunt, I have to be frank, and it doesn't _feel_ quite right. I only got to be at Camp for so long before taking Zoë Nightshade's place as your lieutenant."

Thalia paused, biting the inside of her cheek. Artemis was staring at her curiously. During her years beside the goddess, Thalia had learned to read Artemis whenever she didn't show her usual indifferent face.

"Why the sudden need for mortality?" _Gods_, Thalia thought, _this woman loved to ask questions._

When she opened her eyes, Artemis was still staring at her.

"I know you went to see the son of Hermes the other day," Artemis noted. It was like she was reading Thalia's mind. "You know, not many people reject immortality. It's what most people crave."

Thalia couldn't say anything, she felt ashamed. She was given this gift and all she wanted was a way out.

"Most of these people who refuse this offer are stupid—stupid in love," Artemis continued, her voice neither too loud, nor too low. It made it hard for Thalia to read her. "Most heroes refuse because they do not want to leave their loved ones behind, not unlike your friend, Percy Jackson. _He could have been a god_. However, he cared for Annabeth Chase too much and rejected the utmost gift the Olympians could give him. It was stupid and rash."

Thalia suddenly felt angry towards the goddess, which had never happened before. Percy was one of her dearest friends and so was Annabeth. The fire inside of the daughter of Zeus grew but she managed to keep it inside.

"However," Artemis continued. "I also understand. I understand that your body and soul is still learning and yearning for him. Your feelings for Luke Castellan have grown, I can feel it whenever you close your eyes and think of him."

Wait, did she really having feelings for _Luke_? Thalia forced her eyes closed as she remembered his breath on her neck from a few nights back. It gave her goose bumps. She attempted to push the thought away but the smell of him lingered. Even after being immortalized, the hormones were still raging inside of her.

Thalia added, "It's not _just_…_the_ _boys_. But I miss my sword and I miss eating burgers and watching TV and I…" Her voice failed her. There were endless reasons why she wanted her mortality back, she could make a list and it would go on forever. But the last one was caught in her throat. She'd never let anyone know she was that kind of girl, the one who dreamed of a happily ever after.

"You want to grow old," Artemis continued for her, "and get married and bear a child and raise them and love them and grow old with your husband and live the typical human life."

Thalia's eyes knit together. Yes, she wanted that and so much more. For the first few years of her life, she thought she would always end up like that—_normal_. And then she wished for adventure and that eventually bit her in the ass. She learned that she was a demigod and that they rarely saw the day of adulthood, but still, she thought of it in the wildest of her dreams. Thalia had lived as a tree for years, saving her friends—her family until the Golden Fleece had worked its magic. Then, she was a typical demigod for half a year until _BAM!_ she became Artemis's lieutenant and became immortal and all those hopes and dreams were torn down in seconds.

Still not able to find her voice, the demigod nodded, again, she was ashamed of herself in some way. She had failed Artemis and every other Hunter, including Zoë Nightshade.

Both of them stood silence for a moment. They could hear the crackle of the fire outside and the faint laughter of the other girls and finally, Artemis sighed.

"Very well," Artemis gave in. "I will give you back your mortality, Thalia."

Thalia felt suddenly excited, and surprised. Was this really happening? But her hope was crushed with Artemis's next words.

"However, I cannot simply hand it back to you," the goddess said. "You must do something for me in return."

Eager, Thalia took a step forward and was ready to listen. She would do almost anything by now to go back to Camp Half-Blood.

"What do you wish of me, my lady?" Thalia asked.

The long fingers of the celestial creature intertwined. She was pensive. Being a goddess and being an extremely influential Olympian, she could have things go her way with the snap of her fingers.

Finally, Artemis made her demand. "You shall go on a quest. Within two weeks, you must come back and bring me the Harpe the first Perseus used to slay the gorgon, Medusa. It was also the same Harpe that Kronos used to castrate his father, Uranus."

"Wait, Kronos used a harp to castrate Uranus? Isn't it an instrument?"

Pouting her lips, Artemis glared at Thalia. "_Harpe_. H-A-R-P-E. It is a symbol of power and it has been lost for centuries since Perseus last used it. Bring it back to me before the Winter solstice, Thalia. If you cannot, then I will have no choice but to banish you into the Fields of Asphodel."

Listening to the last words of her patron goddess, Thalia shivered but kept her ground. She was determined to find the Harpe; this was her only chance to get her life back.

* * *

A few days after her "talk" with Artemis, Thalia took her own free time into visiting Luke back in Queens. Now, both demigods sat on the lumpy, brown couch discussing about the quest.

"But why do you want _me_ to come?" Luke complained, sipping from his hot coco. "Seriously, you could take Annabeth or Percy or any one of my brothers. They'd all be glad to go with you."

For the past ten minutes, Thalia had been trying to persuade her friend into accompanying her on the search. However, Luke was determined to decline the offer at every chance he got.

Truth be told, Thalia had no idea why she was asking Luke. He did have a point. But like she had said the last time she was at the flat, Annabeth was too busy with the final reconstructions of Olympus and Percy refused to go anywhere without his girlfriend nowadays. She could ask anyone else on Camp, true, but Thalia didn't trust anyone the way she trusted Luke or Annabeth.

"_Because_," Thalia attempted to argue. "I can count on you."

Those few words seemed to have a bigger impact on Luke than Thalia had expected. His eyes darkened and the frown he'd been wearing since the Battle of Manhattan only became worse.

"Thalia." His voice was flat; the determination that made him look so alive years ago was no longer there. "I haven't gone on a quest in years."

"And so have I, not on a real quest anyway," she said, slamming her fist on the coffee table. "Look, I know you haven't been the same since…since you _died_ but I need you. You're one of the only people I truly trust on this earth. I'm asking you this because you're good. You're the best swordsman I know, and the best one in centuries, as far as I know. You're amazing with a sword and I know you have my back." She paused. "Gods, Luke! When are you going to stop sulking over what happened? I know for a fact that I am one of your oldest friends and I _need_ you right now."

Luke stayed silent, staring at the melting marshmallows in his mug.

"I agreed to this quest knowing that if I failed," Thalia continued, "I would die. So I need the best demigods I know to help me. And you, Luke Castellan are one of those few demigods."

Silence.

When Thalia came back to his apartment earlier that day, she was positive that Luke was going to agree. He had to, she was his friend. Well, not recently but how could he refuse her? She had sacrificed years of her life protecting him, Annabeth and Grover and the rest of the demigods at Camp.

She didn't bring it up though. She knew it would only upset him even more and that he'd feel even guiltier afterwards so she kept her mouth shut.

Not to mention that Luke saved the whole world three years ago. Her actions were nothing compared to what he went through. The price of Luke's sins was his life and he greeted death with open arms.

But still…

"Why does she have to kill you?"

The first words Luke had spoken in the last two minutes.

Thalia sighed. She had been trying to explain that for the past half hour. "Because, to Artemis, it would be humiliating. She would lose her lieutenant and no Hunter in history has ever even asked for their mortality back." Gulping down some more hot chocolate, Thalia burned her tongue. She continued anyway. "Artemis needs something in return, something that will show her power and cover up the humiliation."

Luke was staring at Thalia intently. His blue eyes were darkened by his expression. And ever since Kronos had taken control of Luke's body, the rings of his irises were now the color of gold. It was still stranger to look at but they had grown on Thalia. It reminded her that he, too, was broken.

"Did Artemis at least give us some clue where it's hidden?" Luke said, not taking his eyes off of Thalia.

At first, she hadn't noticed that he was talking to her. She quickly snapped out of her trance though and nodded. "She said that as far as she knows, it's somewhere in the Caribbean."

Luke raised a brow, looking not very pleased with the very little information that had been given to them. "There are over _700_ _islands_ in the Caribbean. Where in Hades are we supposed to start?"

Biting her lip, Thalia turned to Luke sheepishly. Trying to cover her face with her mug, she said, "That's why I wanted you to come. I need Hermes to help me."

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**More questions, more questions more questions that are yet still to be answered!  
Yes, the relationship with Luke and his dad are still tense but I'm going to a bit more detailed in future chapters!**  
**I hope you guys enjoyed and please review if you like!**


	3. Chapter 2: The Third Wheel

**Hey! Sorry guys, I haven't been able to update these past few weeks. I've been really busy and I was in the jungle/forest (i don't even know) as a field trip so no wifi or laptop or even my cell phone charger -.-"" But I was able to whip this up in a few days and not much happens actually, I'm sorry for that but I'm quite pleased with it actually. I hope you guys enjoy!**

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Chapter 2: The Third Wheel

"Are you out of your mind?" Luke blurred out. "I was actually starting to consider going with you on that damn quest!"

Thalia couldn't help herself. She let out a soft chuckle, remembering the events that seemed so long ago now. She attempted to cover her grin to no avail. Luke gave her a questioning look.

"Why are you laughing?"

She shook her head, her smile still obviously plastered on her face. "It's nothing, inside joke."

Thalia could see Luke was about to ask about it but he decided against it.

"So," she said awkwardly, "are you going to help me get in touch with your dad?"

Luke's eyes darkened once more. His lips were pressed tightly against each other. Suddenly, Thalia wondered what it would be like to press her mouth to his. Her eyes went wide and as soon as the thought came to mind, alarm bells rang inside her brain.

Attempting to think of something else, she looked around at his apartment with unease. It had never been this awkward with them before. In all fairness, both demigods met when they were still kids. But during the years that Thalia lived as a tree, Luke had exercised his muscles, training them every day and slaying monsters with a sword that weighed a ton. When she was younger, Thalia had always been some sort of a tomboy; she liked violence and didn't like to be looked down at because of her gender. After she turned human again, she had grown breast and Annabeth's influence on her was not helping.

The daughter of Athena wasn't much of a girly girl not unlike the kids at Aphrodite cabin but she would swoon over Percy without noticing it from time to time and subconsciously, it made Thalia wonder what it would be like to have someone to share all your adventures with.

"Look, Thalia –"

"Please," she mumbled. "Luke, I need your help. We both know you're dad's been keeping special tabs on you since…Manhattan. It's going to be so much easier to get Hermes's attention."

Luke stayed silent.

Thalia hated it when people told her what she could and could not do. She knew what she was getting into when she first signed on to be a Huntress but it was a rash decision. She had years to catch up on and didn't realize what she'd have to give up. Not until a few months after the fall of Kronos, when Annabeth came to her in secret and told her how she had just admitted to Seaweed Brain that she loved him.

Annabeth had looked so happy that night. She still did whenever Percy came to thought and since then, Thalia had had a continuous ache in her gut. That's when she realized what she had given up.

She wasn't allowed to fall in love. She would bear no children for her long immortal life, she would never get married and have grandchildren and grow old with her husband. Thalia didn't want it now, obviously. Even if she probably wouldn't reach her 30s, at least there was still a chance, no matter how small, for her to raise a family. Now that was completely off the table.

She had been deprived of so many things and although she adored her fellow archers and the hunt, inside, she was still a teenage girl who had no idea what she wanted.

Thalia just wished she could explain that to Luke, to help him understand her situation.

She tried to anyway. "Look, try to put yourself in my shoes. I know you technically can't be a Hunter but j—just roll with it," she said, making sure he was paying attention. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it but remember when you were young—younger, anyway, you made a mistake that ruined your life." She could see the hurt in his eyes, he tortured himself for his actions, Thalia could tell. "I made a mistake as well. Being a Hunter is awesome—it's just not what I want."

Luke's eyebrows pulled together. "Thalia, you know that's different."

"I know," she said in an almost desperate voice, "on so many levels but you know the feelings, wishing you could take it back. This is a way out for me."

Her electric blue eyes were pleading, and Thalia never pleaded. She looked into his own eyes and again, saw the pain he was in. She noticed the scar he still wore from his encounter with Ladon. Luke never cared to admit it but Annabeth had once told Thalia that whenever he looked at the scar, he seemed ashamed. _It's because he failed his father_, Thalia thought.

Not taking his eyes off of hers, Luke sighed. "Fine, you win."

Luke had no idea what he had just gotten himself into. This wasn't your usual quest where the Oracle (a.k.a. Rachel Elizabeth Dare) would announce your mission and where to head.

At least, Luke thought, we don't have to solve any of those damn riddles.

He and Thalia had agreed that in the morning, they would go talk about their quest with Chiron.

After Luke finally gave into Thalia's plan, they ended up eating microwave popcorn while watching a movie on HBO. By the time the credits appeared on the screen, both Thalia and Luke had been drifting in and out of sleep.

The older one of the two was able to push himself off the couch right before the list of stunt doubles appeared. Lazily, he turned off the TV and tried to wake up Thalia, who had been leaning on Luke. Once he had left his place, Thalia had no one left to lean on and the left side of her face collided with the couch cushion.

Luke nudged her knee but was only able to get annoyed grunts. Even when they were on the run together, she was impossible to wake up. He wondered how she managed to wake up at dawn to go on the hunt.

Many failed attempts later; Luke still wasn't able to get Thalia to wake up. He too, was getting awfully tired and wanted to go to bed.

Just as Luke thought he was able to fall asleep standing up, he heard an odd sound that woke him almost immediately. His head was up in an instant and his eyes and ears stayed alert. He scanned the studio apartment but found no trace of a monster in sight. The demigod even took a few sniffs in the air but all he could get was the smell of his unwashed clothes and dishes.

With brows drawn together, Luke checked behind the front door and the windows for more unwanted pests. Again, he found no evidence of anyone or anything trying to kill him.

Then, the sounds came again, and again in a slow, steady pace. Luke turned to Thalia, wondering how she could still be sleeping through all the noise. And he almost laughed his head off.

Thalia wasn't bothered by the sounds because the noise came from her! She was snoring.

Luke tried hard not to laugh too loudly by covering his hand over his mouth. A smile hid behind his fingers and a few chuckles would escape every now and then.

Once he had somewhat calmed down, Luke took a good look at his old friend.

Do we, Luke thought, still consider ourselves as friends?

They hadn't talked in ages, which was true. But when they did, it was like they never lost touch.

No, he reminded himself, how could someone still want to be friends with a monster like me?

The smile was ripped away from his face and was replaced by a slight frown. It was hard to keep reminding himself how horrible a person he was. He wondered why his fellow demigods hadn't killed him a second time. Why did they let him live, eat and train with them for so long?

Luke attempted to push the thought away. Taking a deep sigh, the way he did whenever he was thinking of the same pathetic thought, he wrapped his arms around Thalia's body and lifted her off the couch.

She weighed almost nothing, she was all muscle and bone and she wasn't very tall either, at least not as tall and broad as Luke was. Still holding her tightly, he brought her to his bed across the kitchen and laid her down on his mattress.

Thalia cuddled his pillow and started to snore softly once again. Luke gently covered her with his blanket and took off her combat boots, throwing them aside.

It was odd to see the daughter of Zeus that way. She still looked like she was almost 16 years old and she looked even younger when all of her defenses were down. Thalia didn't look as tough and in fact, she almost looked like the girl Luke ran away with all those years ago.

Brushing her shorter hair out of her face, Luke pressed his lips on the top of her head before heading to his temporary sleeping area (a.k.a. the couch) and turning the light off.

* * *

Surprisingly, the next morning, Thalia had woken up long before Luke and was already serving herself some cereals. Luke was just a tiny bit peeved once he realized Thalia had finished his carton of milk.

She looked up at him apologetically. "We don't have Cookie Crisp or milk in the tents."

Once they had stuffed themselves, they took a cab to Long Island. Like every other time Thalia was able to visit her old home, the campers would stop their activities and welcome back the daughter of the almighty Zeus.

Luke could tell the attention was intimidating. He knew that Thalia wasn't much of a prima donna but she smiled through smiled uneasily anyway. The demigods seemed to be pulling at her from all directions.

With a small grin on his face, Luke made his way to the Big House. Inside, Annabeth and Chiron were playing chess and as far as Luke could tell, they were at a draw.

Annabeth sat beside the window, wearing her usual orange Camp Half-Blood shirt and shorts. Her hair seemed to be twice as bright under the sun and the look of concentration in her eyes said '_Do not disturb me! I have a 15 moves planned out and I'm going to crush this old horse!'_

Luke elbowed her anyway. He needed to talk to Chiron now.

The glare Annabeth gave him almost made him regret his actions. Almost.

"Thalia's here," he said nonchalantly. "Thought you'd might like to talk to her or something."

The blond girl's anger was instantly replaced with surprise. Pursing her lips, Annabeth looked from the chess board, her black pieces, more specifically her queen. She looked back at Luke before sighing in defeat.

Glaring at her mentor, she said, "We're not done here. And don't even think about moving any of my pieces. Trust me, you don't want Mrs. O'Leary doing her business anywhere near the Big House, especially after Percy and Nico fed her chili last night."

Luke almost choked on his own saliva. The gods only know how badly that would turn out. Once, Percy had forgotten to walk the giant hellhound and the next morning, she had peed in the lake. The smell lingered for almost a week and campers could barely keep their meals inside their stomachs from the horrible smell.

Chiron gave Annabeth a _'You wouldn't dare'_ look and she replied with an _'Oh yes I would'_ glare. Before the conversation went any further, Annabeth left the room to catch up with her childhood friend.

Once she left, Luke moved to take her seat and before his butt even landed on the wooden chair, Chiron was already doing his job as the demigods' foster parent.

"I suppose," the centaur said, "that there is something urgent you'd like to discuss?"

Luke smiled lightly. At certain times, Chiron could be a better parent then Hermes and Luke's own mother combined.

So he explained Thalia's situation and how he was planning on helping her. He recited to Chiron the lame prophecy Artemis had created at the very last minute:

_To retrieve her mortality back,  
My lieutenant shall go seek the god of thieves' help  
To locate and regain the possession of the lost Harpe.  
She must return it to me before the Winter Solstice  
If she wished to live at all._

To be quite frank, she wasn't much of a poet, not unlike her brother or Ares. Luke wasn't quite sure if words like "my" or "me" could even be cited in prophecies but it was that or nothing.

At first, Chiron didn't seem quite pleased with Thalia's decision. The immortal man—horse—_centaur_ was pensive. Chiron was in his "human" form as Mr. Brunner but the way his eyes seemed to look a thousand years into the past made him seem so wise, even in an old rusty wheelchair.

Luke didn't like it much when Chiron used his chair to move around. It made him looked weak and vulnerable, though in reality, he was one of the most powerful half-man kind of creature to ever walk this earth. Luke was thankful for his mentor, he had been there for him after the Battle of Manhattan, he would be the one staying with Luke whenever he had those late nightmares and he had helped convince Mr. D to allowed Luke to have his own apartment.

Giving a little push in the right direction, Luke tried to explain to him everything that Thalia had argued about the night before.

Sighing, Chiron came to a decision. "I suppose you're right."

A smile appeared on Luke's face.

It was quickly disappeared.

"However," Chiron said, "this is a _quest_. And a quest must come with three people."

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**This chapter is a tinsy winsy bit longer than the previous one, hopefully I'll be able to write longer chapters in the future but for now, we have to deal with this! Also, I need your help for the 3rd character! I'm a bit on the fence between creating an OC, or choosing another demigod. If it's the latter one, I don't think it would be either Percy nor Annabeth, I would most likely chose a minor or secondary character like Drew or Butch! Anyway, please leave suggestions!**


	4. Chapter 3: Of All the Campers

**Hi guys! I'm back, sorry it took me a while to update, this chapter was kind of hard to write, and I was considering all of your opinions! But in the end, I had to chose this demigods because I feel like there are so many interesting things I could do with this 'hero'.**

**Just tiny side note, I will be on vacation from the 16th to the 21st (?, not sure) and I won't have my laptop cause I'm going to the beach with my friends. I will try to write a rough draft on my phone though so I will only have to edit stuff when I get back and hopefully I'll update as soon as I can!**

**Also, consider this chapter my birthday present to you guys! I just turned 16 and it's too weird because I don't want to grow up. I still feel like a kid inside!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Of All the Campers…

"No" the three demigods said in union.

They were settled in a room of the Big House with Chiron, this time in his more intimidating centaur form and with Mr. D, like always, drinking a can of Diet Coke beside him.

The demigod to the far left looked like the youngest person in the room, wearing her favorite combat boots and signature leather jacket. She leaned on the wall, with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl etched into her face. The freckles across her nose and the silver circlet that looked too much like a tiara clashed with her choice of wardrobe.

The demigod beside her was much taller and much older looking, one of the oldest heroes at Camp Half-Blood, his hair was slightly disheveled, his thumbs were tucked into his front pockets and he too, wore a frown. In addition to his glare, the white scar that ran from under his eye to his chin made him look like he was about to decapitate someone.

The last demigod was farther from the others, as if she wasn't even part of the conversation. Although the other heroes in the room were annoyed with Chiron's decision, the last demigod was probably the most furious. When Pollux came barged into her cabin, she'd been reading the latest issue of _Vogue_. And everyone at Camp knew never to disrupt her during her special time with her favorite fashion magazine. But Pollux obliged, threatening to drag her by the ankles if he had to. And she did not want to get twigs in her recently straightened hair.

Though Dionysus was technically the Camp director, Chiron was usually the one calling the shots. And neither Thalia, nor Luke, nor Drew was happy about the centaur's latest decision.

"Chiron," Thalia said, "not to insult your judgment or anything, but I only have, what, two weeks to retrieve this Harpe and everyone in this room, including Drew herself that she will only slow us down."

Trying to charmspeak her way out of this, Drew nodded feverously, "It's true. I mean, I know I'm not the most caring person in the world but I don't want Thalia to die because of me either."

Chiron wasn't fazed. "Do as you wish, Thalia, but Luke is under my protection and I will not allow him to go on this quest without a third companion. This leaves you with only two options: either you must bring Luke and Drew with you or you must find the Harpe on your own."

At this, Thalia stiffened beside Luke, who then added, "We understand that we need a third partner but—seriously? _Drew?_ Of all the demigods at Camp? We would have better luck with Mrs. O'Leary or Blackjack."

Slightly insulted (and ignored), Drew waved her hands over her face. "I'm still here, you know."

"No offense," Luke said blankly, not taking his eyes off his superiors.

"The last time Drew was on the field, was during the Battle of Manhattan," Chiron said, paused when he saw Luke flinch. "She needs to get out there again, other than going to the mall every other weekend; she hasn't left the Camp in over a year."

Again, offended, Drew took a step forward. "And what if I refuse to go on this stupid quest?"

"Then your title as Counselor of the Aphrodite Cabin will be removed," Mr. D said, casually taking a sip from his drink. "I've just spoken to your mother about it. She agrees with Chiron and I."

Drew froze, the look on her face showed the shock of the news. But didn't open her mouth again.

There was a long silence where Thalia's mind had drifted elsewhere. She obviously couldn't go on this search without Luke's help, or at least someone from the Cabin #11 and she wouldn't get either of that without Drew. Though she hated Drew more than some monsters she'd face, without her, Thalia wouldn't be able to get Luke, therefore the help of messenger god; therefore, she would fail her quest and eventually die.

"Fine," Thalia said. "Only because there's no other choice." She turned to the daughter of love. "But keep in mind that if I don't succeed because of you, I will do everything it takes to come back from the Underworld and haunt you and kill you in your sleep. Maybe I'd even torture you a bit. You know, tie you up to a chair and burn your extensions, your _Louis Vuittons_ and your stupid _Naked 3_ palette right in front of your eyes."

The latter part made Drew squirm. Thalia took pleasure in it. From the side of her view, she could see Luke grinning. Thalia was surprised Luke knew what kind of makeup she was referring to. She, herself was surprised that she knew what _Urban Decay_ was. Even if she hadn't lived among civilization for most of her life, Thalia had 'girlfriends'.

"Well," Chiron said. "That's settled, then. You leave at dawn and I hope you three the best of luck. You might want to get some rest now" He turned to the daughter of Zeus. "It would be a pleasure to have you back home, Thalia."

With that, the three demigods queued to leave the room. Drew was in front, dragging her feet along and Thalia mentally cursed at her, almost like the drivers stuck in traffic during rush hour in New York City.

Once she was out of sight, Thalia could hear Chiron and Mr. D whispering. She stopped abruptly and leaned against the wall, trying to listen to the conversation.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Chiron."

The sound of hooves against wood made Thalia grimace. "I'm surprised you've shown concern, Dionysus. After all, you mention your distaste in heroes almost every day, why do these three trouble you?"

Thalia raised an eyebrow, leaning closer against the plaster.

Mr. D scoffed. "None of the three demigods are of importance to me. However, I'm sure Zeus won't be pleased to know that his only half-mortal daughter was killed by Artemis's hand. A conflict would emerge. The gods would have to choose sides. Though my father is powerful, Artemis is wise beyond her years. This one death could mean the end of Olympus."

Thalia could almost feel Chiron nod along. "And if either Drew or Luke were to perish, neither of their divine parents would be very happy about it. Aphrodite might not seem very powerful to mortals, though we know better. Love is a very dangerous thing; the most mortal curses were cast by her. Not to mention she is the eldest amongst you Olympians."

"Indeed," Mr. D said, burping afterwards. "And Hermes has been keeping a close eye on Mr. Castellan since…Kronos. He has been more worrisome over his son and I imagine how upset he would be if he were to die, after all everything poor child has been through."

Was that pity Thalia could hear? Was Dionysus even capable of emotion?

"Though I am curious," Mr. D continued. "Why Ms. Tanaka?"

"Drew has," Chiron said, "a special gift."

"Yes, her charmspeaking abilities. Nevertheless, I admit, I am confused as to how that will help the heroes in battle."

Thalia could hear Chiron moving farther, maybe towards the window. "She is a powerful charmspeaker, and that ability is hard to find. However, Aphrodite's gift isn't the sole reason I have forced her to tag along." A pause. "Drew thinks…differently. Some of the most complicated equations have the simplest of answers, Dionysus. Both Thalia and Luke are stubborn and hot headed—impulsive. They rely on their physical strength and their combat training, just as we have taught them to. Drew, however, has knows how accomplish things that cannot be taught."

Hearing a tiny _pop!_ startled Thalia. She relaxed once she realized Mr. D was only opening another can of Diet Coke.

"If Thalia and Luke were to encounter a problem," Chiron continued, "they would go headfirst into the fight. They wouldn't know what kind of powers or how powerful their enemy is." Thalia could almost hear the centaur thinking about his next words. "On the other hand, Drew would prefer to negotiate, talk things out and use the safest course. By doing so, she will be able to learn more about her enemy, perhaps learn a few weaknesses. And it will less likely get them killed."

Did Chiron really believe Drew could save them? Aphrodite's daughter was a slacker, took the easiest route out and bent people to their will. How could she possibly be some sort of help?

Before she could answer her questions, the conversation ended and she could hear the familiar sound of hooves coming her way. She took off, heading towards the dining hall.

* * *

After their conversation with Chiron, the three demigods went to have lunch at the dining hall. Drew was talking behind the other campers' backs, snickering at people as they passed by while Luke ate silently with his siblings. He sat at the very edge of the table, not even paying attention to the latest prank Connor and Travis were arranging. Thalia sat alone at Zeus's table, eyeing Luke. Not unlike him, she ate her mashed potatoes silently. But only because there were no other people around to talk to. She sometimes envied the other campers, other than Percy and Nico, everyone had at least half a dozen other half siblings to talk to. At times, even Percy had Mrs. O'Leary or Tyson, who would pay a visit every once in a while.

Thalia didn't have the heart to finish her meal, which she knew was ungrateful of her, and used her leftovers to sacrifice them to the gods.

She practiced her sword fighting and self defenses, mostly. Thalia mostly used a bow and arrow in recent years. And to use those weapons properly meant she had to shoot at a safe distance. So she rarely had any hand to hand combat or have any use for self defenses.

Archery had its perks, though. To yield a bow takes strong arms and Thalia's muscles were more defined than ever. Her sword almost felt like a feather in the palm of her hands and the precision she needed to use an arrow had been useful as well.

Thalia had been training with the dummy for the past hour or so and if the dummy had been a real person, she would have cut his artery with a single slice, poked out his eyeball and impaled 5 different organs with one blow.

As she was about to cut the dummy's head off, she heard a low whistle.

Turning around, she found no other than Percy Jackson standing ten feet away from her, his hands over his hips, looking a tad flamboyant.

Immediately, Thalia ran to him and they embraced. Percy's arms were strong around her tiny, 15 year old body and he had grown much taller than the last time she'd seen him. She had to tip-toe to be able to hug him properly.

Once they separated, he said, "Nice moves you got there, Grace."

Thalia explained how the Hunter taught her how to use less energy by making fewer attacks, yet making them efficient. For example, if Thalia was quick enough and sly enough, she'd be able to slice someone's neck wide open with only one swing of her sword.

Percy seemed genuinely interested, which was surprising knowing his ADHD took over most of his attention span.

Thalia studied him as she talked. Not only had he grown taller but his hair was longer as well. He needed a haircut soon, they were almost covering his sea green eyes now and that wouldn't be very practical. He was also starting to grow stubble, which Annabeth told her that she loved. According to Annabeth, it made him look "hot" and "more mature". For someone who usually, had a wide vocabulary, the only adjectives Annabeth were able to find were "sexy" and "sizzling". It made Thalia gag a bit.

But it was true, it had a certain appeal.

It had been the first time in months since she'd last seen Percy. Though Thalia had visited just a few days ago, she had been leading a quest to Nebraska and he told her how he only came back late last night.

"You look like you could use some company," he said, uncapping Riptide from his pocket.

Thalia couldn't hide her malicious grin. "_Oh_, you're on, Jackson."

With the sword at the ready, Thalia took her stance and analyzed every move Percy made. It was the small things that gave his next moves away. His fingers would tighten around his blade whenever he was able to strike and Thalia dodged every single time. She could tell which kind of attacks were coming her way. Whenever Percy stomped his right leg first and his arm was still lowered, Thalia knew he was going for the stabbing the gut kind of thing and steered clear out of it.

Thalia's giveaway was that she would grin her teeth together before attacking, though Percy wasn't as quick as her and was rarely able to dodge, he was only blocking, wasting more on his energy in his arms since he was blocking Thalia's blade with his.

Percy had his own advantages though, he was stronger and taller. Whenever he was able to get her off guard, his blows used more brute force and were hard to block.

A few minutes of sword clashing, both demigods were breathing heavily. Sweat trickled from their foreheads to their necks. Their hearts racing. And suddenly, Riptide was against Thalia's skin. The blade was sharp and cold on her bare skin covering her collar bone. Thalia held her breath, knowing that if she exhaled, blood would be dripping out of her neck.

Percy grinned, exhaling.

Knowing this was the only time she'd have him off guard, Thalia ducked, her knees hitting the ground. Extending her right leg, she tripped Percy. The hero stumbled over Thalia's thick combat boots and his butt collided with the dirt.

The air was knocked out of him; Thalia seized Riptide and pointed, ironically, at its owner's chest.

Not unlike a few minutes earlier, an audience was present.

Thalia heard clapping and turned to her right. She found Luke with a proud and smug smile on his face, obviously enjoying Percy's defeat. Gods, she forgotten how attractive that smile was.

"Jackson," Luke said, "how many times have I told you not to underestimate her?"

Getting to his feet, Percy gave Luke a high five and from Thalia's understanding, was a 'bro hug', or at least that's what she liked to call it.

"In my defense," Percy argued, "I just came back from slaying half a dozen monsters. I'm tired, okay?"

Throwing Riptide towards Percy, Thalia added, "Or maybe it's the ADHD messing with your head again."

After catching the sword in his right hand and turning it back into a ball pen, Percy tucked his weapon back into his pocket.

"Anywaaayyy," Percy said, trying to change the subject. "I heard you guys were going out tomorrow—not like out as a _date_, I know that—but on a quest." He turned to Thalia, raising a brow. "To retrieve your mortality back? And with _Drew_?"

Obviously, word was spreading fast all over Camp. Probably since all the demigods were shocked to find out the counselor of the Aphrodite cabin was going on a quest.

Thalia and Luke both tried to explain their situation to Percy, though they almost had to repeat the same things twice since half the time, his mind was wandering somewhere else.

Trying to explain about the quest was complicated enough. They had no idea its specific location, the power it might contain or its true value. Not to mention that they didn't know if it was being guarded by a monster, and if so, what? And now they had Drew on their backs.

Thalia wondered what Chiron thought drew could do to help. It was true that she and Luke relied more on their physical abilities, though, _really?_ It wasn't like Drew was a daughter of Athena, who could come up with a plan in two seconds—no, she was _Drew_. The only real talent she had was to manipulate hopeless boys and drown in her self-centeredness.

Thinking about Chiron, Thalia remembered that she had to talk about her eavesdropping with Luke. She had no idea what the conversation between the Camp Activities Director and Mr. D's conversation was about but Luke had known both of them longer, perhaps he had a better opinion?

She didn't notice, but in the very back of Thalia's mind, all she could think of was that this was an excuse to have Luke all to herself.

In the midst of trio's discussion, Annabeth entered the training facility and called for Percy. Apparently Connor and Travis had pulled a prank on the Demeter kids in the stables and they needed help calming the horses down. With pathetic, yet adorable googly eyes, Percy complied and followed her.

Once Percy and Annabeth were out of earshot, Luke turned to Thalia in all seriousness. Thalia didn't enjoy it too much when he looked so solemn, in addition to the scar; the slightly glowing blue-golden eyes frightened her slightly.

Though Thalia was upset that the friends she so rarely saw were leaving her, she was glad she was left alone with Luke. She was about to tell her about what Chiron said, though he beat her to it.

"I'm spending the night here," he announced. "It'll be more practical since my father's office is closer to Long Island than Queens."

With brows pulled together, Thalia took a step back. "Wait, Hermes has an office in New York?"

Luke nodded. He obviously wasn't very fond talking about his dad. Thalia could only imagine his distaste just having to talk to him the next day. "It's been there a while now. Though he rarely came by it. It wasn't until the, um, Battle of Manhattan that he officially established himself there."

_So he can look after you more carefully_, Thalia mentally added.

"Do you need anything else?" Luke asked.

Thalia shook her head no. All the things she had, she was wearing and if she needed anything else, she could simply go ask Annabeth or Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

Luke gave her a tight smile before turning his back to her. Instinctively, Thalia grabbed him by the wrist. He turned back with a slight worried frown on his face.

"Is something wrong?"

Realizing what she'd just done, Thalia blushed. "No," she lied. "I—I just wanted to thank you, Luke. You've done so much for me, I really can't thank you enough."

But Thalia wanted to say more. She didn't know why, she suddenly wanted to spill out all of her thoughts, right there and then in the middle of the afternoon in the place she once called home and hope would become it once again. She wanted to tell him how much she hated it when he didn't smile, because she could see the pain and she wanted it to go away.

Thalia wanted to make it go away. She just didn't know how.

And she had no idea where all these emotions and thoughts were coming from. She only knew that they occurred more and more frequently and a lot whenever she was five feet near Luke Castellan.

But all she said was, "I've missed you."

And although the three words represented so little of the many, many thoughts tucked inside her brain, the way she said it, the way her electric blue eyes looked at his sky blue-gold ones was all it took for him to put his arm around her waist and pull her closer.

He was so so so tall and she was still in the body of a stupid, hormonal teenager. Yet, she felt like their bodies fit together perfectly, like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

The embrace was brief and short and although the words seemed to mean so little, Luke was able to read her, the way her lips parted and the way her voice cracked just the slightest.

Thalia could feel his chin digging into her black hair as he whispered, "I've missed you too."

And those four words were all it took to sooth her, at least until now.

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**As promised, this chapter is longer than the previous ones, I was actually considering making them longer but the next part of the story was too long to add in here (though I think it's too short as a chapter on it's own). Anyway, I just really think that choosing Drew was a challenging, yet playful thing to do since we know how other campers see her but then we might not know the real her and I feel like I could do so many things with this character, so many unexpected things.**

**Also, yay! Percy made a tiny appearance, I couldn't help myself! And I just had to add that really fluffy part at the end, it just came into my head at the very last minute. :3**

**And I really want to know if you guys think this chapter is too short or too long, now, what things I could improve on. And I'd really like to know what you think is going to happen from here on out! Make sure to leave a comment and I'll try my best to please you guys (ew, not in a dirty way).**


	5. Ch 4: Not So Late Evenings (too long)

**It's finally here guys! Okee, sorry it took so long! I was in Boracay and then afterwards I had some technical difficulties but here we are! Nothing really happens in this chapter, but I accidentally made it too long so the next part's just gonna be in future chapters. I don't know if you guys will like what I did with Drew in the second half but please bear with me!**

**I have to warn you guys though, I have not re-read this very well since I haven't updated in so long so please forgive me! Also, I was wondering if anybody wanted to beta my chapters before I post them? I just don't have much time to do them myself anymore :/**

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Chapter 4: Not So Late Evenings & Early Mornings

Thalia was ready to go to bed by 10 pm. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept before midnight. Being a Hunter meant endless all nighters and the constant need to be on high alert. Excluding the night before, where she'd crashed on Luke's bed, this was the first time she was going to sleep somewhere softer than a sleeping bag. And this time, she was staying in _her_ bed, in _her_ room/cabin.

Not to mention the fact that this was probably the last full night's sleep she'd ever had. Once the sun rose tomorrow, there was no telling whether she'd survive this quest.

_If I don't_, even her thoughts were shaking, _please spare Luke. And Drew, I don't care how much I hate her. I can't be the cause of her death._

The thought of her certain annihilation right before bedtime obviously wasn't a good idea. Thalia kicked and rustled on her mattress, her limbs blending with her covers and sweat dribbling from her forehead onto her pillow.

A sudden knock came at the front door.

Instinctively, Thalia sat up, a tad too quickly, and hit the top of her skull on the bunk bed above her. There was a loud _thud!_ and a quieter _ouch!_

Before she had the time to recover, the door flew open with a wild looking Luke barging in. His blue and golden eyes searched around the cabin for the cause of the disruption but found none. His gaze focused on Thalia, who still held her fingers in her hair.

"Don't worry," she reassured him. "Just hit my head."

A sigh of relief escaped Luke's lips. Closing the door behind him, he kneeled before Thalia, and took a look at the minuscule bump that had formed on her head. His long fingers tangled with her black hair. Luke took a closer look at her 'injury' and assessed the damage—which was close to none.

Thalia stared at him curiously. The moonlight seemed to be illuminating his every feature, from his slightly angular jaw line to his old scar that never seemed to heal. The golden circles around his eyes glowed in the dark, somewhat like the supernatural creatures in _Teen Wolf_ (which was probably the only pop culture reference Thalia knew; Annabeth didn't seem like the type to watch those kind of TV series, but she was, and last time she visited, Annabeth forced her to watch both Seasons 1 and 2). Thalia thought about how intriguing Luke's eyes here. It was like the scene of the sky, only in reverse. In reality, the golden circle would represent the sun and it would be wrapped by the color of the sky, where in Luke's case, the sky seemed to be encircled with an infinite glow.

"Good thing you have such a thing skull," Luke said once he'd backed away. Thalia was so concentrated into her analysis of him that his sudden words made her jump a bit. "I think your head hit a loose nail. A tiny lumped formed but it'll probably disappear in a few hours. It's nothing to worry about."

_That's what I just said_, was what she wanted to say but held her tongue at the last possible moment. A grin tugged at the sides of Thalia's lips. "I'm not concerned, Luke. I'm just not used to having a double decker anymore," she explained. "Anyway, I've had much worse injuries in the past couple of years."

With tight lips, Luke nodded. "Are you sure you don't need ambrosia, though?"

Thalia shook her head. "No, thank you," she replied. "But it would be nice to know why you're visiting Cabin 1 in the middle of the night."

"It's only 10:40, Thalia," Luke said. He wasn't able to hide a blush.

"Is it?" she asked. "Ugh, it feels like I've been trying to sleep for hours!"

Luke moved from the floor to the side of her bed. "That's sort of the reason why I came, actually," he said sheepishly. "I can't get shut eye in Hermes's Cabin. Gods, they're all so loud! Travis and Connor won't stop going on about their next ploy to prank the Demeter Cabin."

Thalia sent him a questioning glance. "The Demeter Cabin?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Travis seems oblivious to it but everyone else at Camp's figured out he has a thing for Katie Gardner. She's the head counselor of Cabin 4. Well whenever she's here. She usually only comes by during summer and winter break. Katie just arrived a few days ago. I guess Travis is trying to show off or something."

Thalia snickered. "Show off _what_? His doofus skills? Will those two ever grow up?"

"I doubt it," Luke replied, grinning. "By the time they reach 50, they'll still have the mentality of a 13 year old. I swear, I don't remember teaching either of them any of this shit. They think they're experts at hitting on girls. Plus, Katie's pretty hot tempered; this will only get Travis on her bad –"

"When did you grow up?" Thalia asked suddenly.

Luke raised an eyebrow. The sides of his lips were still turned towards the sky "What do you mean? Thalia, I'm 24 now. I've been an adult for quite some time."

Thalia shook her head. She hadn't noticed she'd moved closer towards Luke. "No, I know that. But when did you become so-so _mature_?"

Luke didn't seem to be able to look at her then. His head was bowed. Suddenly, he thought about all the awful things he'd done. He remembered all the horrific actions he'd done to realize how truly terrible he was. He was staring at his hands. Gods, he'd done so many things with these hands, these palms and fingers. His friends keep reminding him that he'd saved so many people with these hands. Every time, though, he'd cancel it out, he kept reminding himself of how many people perished because of these limbs of his. They've held swords, sometimes to defend himself, at other times, to attack and hurt. He's shot bows with these hands and he's used them to teach other demigods how to fight.

With these hands, he'd hurt so so so many people. Luke thought it was funny how just two decades ago, his main use for his fingers was to help him count until 10. And suddenly, he used his hands to signal Kronos's army to attack his own home. With the help of these hands, he cupped _her_ cheek and tangled his fingers in _her_ long, smooth hair. He seduced Silena Beauregard and eventually her death was brought to her by him.

And as he closed his eyes, he could still see her visage. How like her mother, Silena's hair and eyes could change color. And then Luke saw Beckendorf's face, and Castor's, and Lee Fletcher's. Then Michel Yew's and Ethan Nakamura's. So many young faces. _Too many_.

Luke forced his eyes opened—it was the only way to escape the ghosts. He stared down at his trembling hands. His nails were digging into his skin, almost bleeding.

With a low voice, he muttered, "You know very well when."

Thalia's voice was practically shaking, filled with remorseful. "I'm so sorry. I—I don't even know why I asked. It's just—_fuck_," she said under her breath. "You're so different now. At times, I don't even feel like you're Luke Castellan anymore. At least not the one I knew—"

"The one you knew was child. I've changed—"

"_So what?_" Thalia said. "That's what life is. We go through childhood, and we take our experiences from that lifetime and turn into teenagers. We turn into teenagers because of our time as a child. We learned from mistakes and our experiences and we try to translate them into something better. Gods, am I even making any sense?" A pause. "And then, you take what you've learned from your childhood and your teen years and become an adult. We have to learn from our past. That past is you as a kid _and_ as a tween _and_ as an adolescent! So Luke, there's got to be a part of you, no matter how small, is still that child. Still the Luke Castellan I once knew."

It took a moment for Luke to wrap his head around her theories. And he had no arguments.

"Damn it, Castellan!" Thalia was poking his chest with her index finger. "There is a tiny, tiny scrap of your soul and body that is still that innocent, sweet, overprotective and caring child."

"The only part of me that exists is the one in front of you." His voice was a bit raised, though he tried to hold back his emotions, his rage and confusion.

Silence.

Both of them were so still it was actually possible to hear the light waves crashing to shore. In the distance, it was possible to make a distinct laugh that belonged to Connor Stoll. And if you maybe, they were able to hear the snores all the way from the Hypnos cabin.

"And who in the name of Hades is standing in front of me, then?" Her voice was steady and exposed no sentiment.

Luke responded with the same thought that haunted his every waking second of his life: "I don't know."

It was at that moment when Thalia found him—the young little boy who once slept beside her on the hard soil, the boy who promised to protect her and Annabeth—this tiny family. And in his eyes, no matter what color they were, Thalia was able to find that boy.

Her electric blue eyes were staring right into his giant blue-golden orbs and all she could see was pain and confusion and that's when she found the boy, the boy who was now so obviously lost. She had finally found him, but the boy still had no sense of direction. And all Thalia wanted to do was extend her hand, take his and pull him into her arms. She wanted to lead him from harms' way and protect him, the way he promised to protect her all those years ago.

Because at that moment, Thalia felt something she had never felt before. She was split in two. The look that her friend was giving her right now was breaking her. Thalia had no idea how. All she knew was that she felt all kinds of emotions all at once. She felt sympathy for Luke for all he had gone through, on the other hand, she also hated him for being so distant and closed off. A part of her was content with the fact that the little boy was still inside that 24 year old body, and another part of her was so angry at the gods for letting Luke live with so much pain. She felt emotions that normally shouldn't be felt at the same time. Love and anger were holding hands. Hatred and adoration lived under the same roof.

This was splitting her soul in half.

And she was only staring into his eyes.

Thalia couldn't even imagine what it was like for Luke, inside his head. And she thought: _how is he still breathing? How is his heart still functioning? How come his body had crumbled into a million pieces yet?_

And she laid her hands over his knuckles. Luke relaxed under her touch. His look softened and sent her the most sincere message.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Thalia pulled him in and she held him and he buried his face into her shoulder and his body was so tall compared to her petite one yet they seemed to fit so perfectly together and Thalia was so proud of him for being able to open up so much in one night.

"Your brothers weren't the reason why you couldn't fall asleep, Thalia said in his blond hair. "It was because you were afraid."

Luke seemed to chock on his own words. He simply nodded.

"I'm scared, too," she admitted. "For so many reasons. The list would go on forever."

Luke snickered. "I came here so I could ask if I could spend the night here."

Thalia could feel Luke stiffen as the words escaped his mouth. And she found the word that would surprise her most in her whole life.

"Okay," she mumbled.

"I don't see any other way either of us is going to get some shut eye otherwise," she said. Thalia pulled away from the hug a little, but both their knees were still touching. "So why not? There's plenty of space and I could use the company. And, not to sound too sappy or anything, but your presence really reassures me."

* * *

Surprisingly, Drew woke up half an hour before dawn broke. Still lying in bed, she opened on eye and found all of her siblings still sound asleep. She could even hear Mitchell snoring in the corner.

For probably the first time in her life, Drew prepared a backpack the night before she went to bed. Quietly as not to wake her brothers and sisters up, Drew changed into new underwear, a sports bra, a dark brown tank top and simple denim shorts. Though, even indoors, the winter breeze hit her like a ton of bricks and assumed it would be better to wear pants. She layered a denim jacket over her tank top and hoped she didn't look too cheap. Afterwards, Drew sat at the edge of her bed and tied her tennis shoes. That's when she heard a light tap on the window.

Drew turned to find Pollux on the other side of the glass. He smiled sadly at her, and somehow, that smile made her insides melt. Through the window, Drew could already see him running his fingers through his mess of blond curls.

As she made her way to the door, Drew tied her hair in an untidy pony tail, knowing she would still look gorgeous, no matter how lazily she made it. Once outside, she closed the door silently behind her.

Drew sent a questioning glance towards Pollux. He didn't seem to notice though. Pollux crept up towards her and pulled her into a tight hug. At first, Drew was surprised but quickly relaxed into his arms and hugged him back.

"Please don't go," he whispered wretchedly.

Placing her hand on his shoulders, Drew pulled him away. She didn't want anybody to catch them. There were probably at least half a dozen campers awake by now.

His giant purple-colored eyes were pleading. "It's not like a volunteered," she said, accentuating her annoyance. "Chiron and Mr. D even threatened my position as Counselor."

"And being Counselor is more important to you than being alive?" Pollux's voice was panicked. Drew could tell he was trying to find arguments for her to stay at Camp. She could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice.

"Of course not!"

"Is it because of Luke?" The jealousy in Pollux's voice was so obvious that Drew wondered if he was even trying to conceal it. "Yeah, of course. The girls totally dig that scary and mysterious vibe he's rocking."

A crinkle appeared in between Drew's brows. "Gods, no. I mean, he's hot but I'm not going because of Luke. You know that's not the reason I'm going, Pol."

The son of the wine god sighed. "I know," he admitted softly. "If you don't go, they're going to kick you off Camp. But that's not fair! Are they even allowed to do that?"

Drew shrugged. "I have no clue but they can definitely try."

The charmspeaker recalled her conversation with Chiron and Mr. D the day before, a few hours after they talked with Luke and Thalia. They used everything she'd done in the past three years against her.

_You haven't lifted a finger since you got here,_ Chiron had told her.

_This is a way to redeem yourself_, Mr. D has said, _your peers will admire you after this!_

_If you don't go on this quest, your mother threatens to cut you off,_ the god had said.

Drew thought about all the designer clothes that she wouldn't be able to wear, all the makeup products that will cease to arrive at the front door of her Cabin.

And if she got kicked out of Camp, she would have nowhere to go. Drew would become an outcast. None of the other demigods would even try to help her, not even her own siblings.

She'd explained this to Pollux half a dozen times the night before. They'd been hanging out at the back of the stables in the dark. He sat on the stack of hay while she sat on his lap and Drew could remember the sound of their laughter and she could still feel how his hand held hers tightly.

Drew bit her lower lip. Her freshly manicured fingers played with his soft curls. "Pol, if they kick me out," she mumbled. "I-I wouldn't be able to see you."

Just saying it out loud made her chest ache. Never in her life had Drew felt so…so powerless. She'd always have the upper hand, but it wasn't like she could charmspeak herself out of this situation.

Pollux held her by the waist, pulling her closer. Drew could feel the heat burning her cheeks. "Maybe I could talk with my dad," he offered. "I could ask him to go easy on you."

"And then he'd ask why," said Drew. "It's not like you could just say _'oh, I've been really into the most hated bitch in all of New York lately and I would really appreciate it if you could prevent her certain demise.'_"

Pollux grinned slyly. "Wow, I had no idea you knew what the word 'demise' meant."

Drew giggled and slapped him on the shoulder playfully. "I know I seem stupid—"

"But you've changed," he cut her off. "I don't think you're the same Drew Tanaka that everyone hated a few years back. I don't know how, but I can see it. I mean, you're obviously still obsessed with all those rubbish magazines and bright nail polishes but I feel like you've been more, I don't know, more appreciative lately? I just hope you don't die before the others are able to see it too."

She wanted to melt into his arms. Drew had no idea why of all the guys she could have in Camp, she wanted to be with this cheesy dork. If she really wanted to, she could probably get Zac Efron, but she enjoyed being so close to Pollux.

Drew leaned into him. Her arms wrapped tightly against his strong body and hold on forever. She rested her chin on his shoulder and took him all in. He smelled like grass and wine, which sounded like the oddest combination ever but it was nice. Looking past him, the first rays of the sun appeared and Drew felt her chest tighten. This was the part she was least looking forward too. "I have to go now."

* * *

Thalia woke up before Luke, which was a shock considering how heavily she slept the day before, when she'd taken over Luke's bed. Now he was taking over hers.

They'd fallen asleep on her tiny bed. Luke was pressed against the wall while Thalia's body was threatening to fall over the edge. He was still fast asleep when she woke. However, Thalia knew he would open his eyes soon enough so she didn't want to take the risk of changing in the same room.

She gathered her things and headed for the girls' bathroom. Thalia changed into her comfortable and familiar jeans, tank top and leather jacket. Knowing how little sleep she'd gotten, Thalia rinsed her face with cold water, trying to wake herself up.

That's when she heard a light sob coming from the farthest stall. Whoever was crying was obviously trying to conceal her sorrow. And she'd been doing a good job until just now. Thalia had been in the bathroom for a goof fifteen minutes until she found out someone else was there with her.

"Hello?" she called. "Are you okay?"

Before she heard an answer, Drew Tanaka stormed out of the stall with her face tinted bright red and her dark eyes puffy from all the crying.

Thalia froze for the longest second ever. Was she asleep? Could Drew really be upset something other than makeup and clothes?

The weeping demigod looked at her furiously. "Of course I'm okay," she said; her voice was surprisingly firm. "Just a bit disappointed I won't be able to catch tonight's marathon of the _Vampire Diaries_."

The tap was still running when Thalia asked, "What the hell is the _Vampire Diaries_?"

Drew rolled her eyes and grunted in frustration. She stomped the rest of the way out of the bathroom, leaving Thalia wondering why the hell she would lie.

Once Thalia was back at Cabin #1, Luke was finally awake, just as she'd suspected. Though he didn't seem to have thought about changing into the men's bathroom rather than her room.

Thalia walked through the door and paused when she was met by Luke shirtless chest. Thank the gods, he was already in his jeans but that fact didn't stop her from turning bright red. She only hoped Luke didn't notice, which would have been a hard miss considering the sun was now up and her face was usually extremely pale.

Luke stood against the sun, his body looking like one of a gods', which was only half accurate. His muscles were well defined from all the training he done over the past years. His blond hair was a tousled mess. Thalia watched as Luke pulled a tight gray shirt over himself. His biceps and triceps and the muscles over his shoulder blades flexed and soon, his whole body was covered with fabric.

Thalia didn't know whether to be grateful or not. Admittedly, the view was nice, though it was nice to finally be able to cool down.

"Morning," she squeaked.

She took a seat on the floor as she tied her combat boots and told Luke about her encounter with Drew in the bathroom.

Luke seemed unfazed though. "Of course she's lying," he said. "But if it were the other way around, would you really tell someone you barely know why you've had a mental breakdown."

Zeus's daughter nodded. "I suppose, but it was just… weird. Isn't Drew Tanaka supposed to be a bitch? And from what I could tell yesterday she was doing an incredible job at that."

With darkened eyes, Luke added, "We all have our secret personalities. Although Drew can be a pain, I don't believe she's always such a queen. She probably doesn't like to show her sensitive side."

Thalia knew both Luke and herself could relate to her in that way. She just didn't peg Drew to be that kind of girl, the one who actually cared about something other than material things.

Soon afterwards, Luke and Thalia joined Drew at the entrance of Camp Half-Blood. A few of their fellow demigods were already there, waiting for them. They came to say their goodbyes. Thalia recognized the few faces she'd never be able to forget: Annabeth, who was leaning on Percy for comfort. Both of them looked tired and weary but were able to manage a tight smile for Luke and the (former?) Hunter. Nico was there as well. He too, looked exhausted, then again, he always seemed to look like so. He sat on Mrs. O'Leary's back, who seemed to just as disappointed as the rest of the demigods to see their friends leave. Surprisingly, Travis and Connor were there as well (who knew they could wake up so early?) and hugged their brother tightly.

Luke seemed uncomfortable at first, but hugged the Stolls back. Connor and Travis seemed to be making weird noises, and Thalia couldn't tell whether they were snickering or crying. Both, maybe.

Drew sat on the dirty floor, leaning on a column, trying to act bored, but from what Thalia could tell, her whites of her eyes still seemed a bit red. Beside her sat some of her sisters, all of them already looking gorgeous at 6 in the morning, and another boy Thalia didn't recognize a few feet farther from the group. Thalia knew she'd seen him around Camp before, though they'd never had any real interaction.

Chiron arrived a few seconds after Thalia and Luke did and everyone who was present hugged them and yelled their farewells.

Thalia, Luke and Drew walked through the invisible barrier and headed for Hermes's_ Speedy Deliveries _in Brooklyn.

* * *

**Okee, so the ending was kind of rushed but please don't hit me! Also, I couldn't remember if I said Hermes's office was in a specific place in the last chapter so I just placed it in Brooklyn. If there's any confusion in this chapter, don't fret! Hopefully, if I don't forget about it, it will be explained in later chapters! I hope you guys don't kill me for this one :P**


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